Dinner at the Ritz

The plot reveals itself early, there isn't any suspense to speak of and most of the jokes are weak. However! There are some bright spots:

If you remain interested after the first 45 minutes, you will find more jokes to be entertained by, although some of these moments are merely incidental. Shooting on-location in Europe provides a welcome change of pace. The dialog, which is smoothly and stylishly delivered by a "classic" cast of capable actors, adds to the film's overall camp value. The cast provides some worthwhile moments, but you must be patient. I also enjoyed the costumes but if I am going to watch a movie from this era solely for costumes and dialog, this wouldn't be my first pick. If you like film from this era (I do) and already are familiar with the cast (I am), then I might recommend it. If you are not familiar with the period and the actors, I recommend finding something else to watch. The film isn't immensely popular so if you've come this far then you probably know what you're getting into.

Dinner at the Ritz was done while David Niven was making his first visit back to the old country. Sam Goldwyn who made as much money with Niven by selling his services to major studios as using Niven himself, lent him out to 20th Century Fox for this European production.

The chief recommendation for Dinner at the Ritz is the location shooting in Paris, Monte Carlo, and London. It was good for American audiences to see the real deal as opposed to studio set recreations. It wasn't bad for our audiences to see the beautiful Annabella who would be marrying Niven pal Tyrone Power shortly.

Annabella is the daughter of a banker who allegedly commits suicide after telling her he was going to confront one of a group of six men who pulled off a swindle on his bank. Of course Annabella doesn't believe it, neither does detective David Niven who's after these guys for other crimes.

Since we already know who the murderer is, there's no real suspense in Dinner at the Ritz. It's whether she can catch them and prove it and will she realize Niven ain't one of the gang.

I will say this, the gimmick used to get her father's money back is pulled off with quite a bit of style.

Look for some good performances by Francis L. Sullivan and Paul Lukas as two of the gang of six. But the film really could have used some Hitchcock touches.

David Niven, location shots in 30's Paris, and someone named Annabella, I just had to check it out Dinner at the Ritz. Niven is as pleasant and enjoyable as I was expecting. Annabella was as beautiful as I imagined and not completely lacking in acting skills either. There's sparkling jewels, a jewel heist, a yacht, lovely gowns, music and dancing, along with a murder hunt. Unfortunately the story and script in large part let all of those wonderful elements down. There isn't really much intrigue or suspense, nor even a thrill, it just kinds of moves along and looks nice. Despite the shortcomings it's not completely unwatchable, which I guess makes it kind of watchable, at least for the genuinely curious.

"Dinner at the Ritz" is a crime, murder mystery and romance. It's a 20th Century Fox film made through its London offices and filmed at Denham Studios. Although the title simply refers to a dinner meeting where the film ends, it otherwise has nothing to do with the story. It's an interesting plot that starts in Paris, moves to the Riviera and Monaco, and then jumps up to London. The film editing seems a little choppy and the overall quality of the DVD I have is not very good

The film has a superb cast. The leads are Annabella, Paul Lukas, David Niven and Francis L. Sullivan. A slew of well-known supporting actors of the day contribute nicely to the story.

It's a very nice and interesting mystery with a couple of unusual twists. This is a film that could use restoring. Mystery fans should like it, and the romance between Niven's Paul de Brack and Annabella's Ranie Racine is developed very nicely.

Stewart Rome's bank has gone bust, and Rome has been trying to track down the swindlers who conned him. Then he seems to have committed suicide, leaving his daughter, Annabella, to penniless as the auction of his effects and belongings will go to his depositors. Meanwhile, Romney Brent is trying to get the name of the six men who did the swindle. It's in a letter from Rome, but the bad guys, led by Paul Lucas and Francis L. Sullivan are trying to get their hands on it before the authorities, in the person of David Niven do. When Annabella is in Monte Carlo, deliberately losing at baccarat to enable a jeweler to get top dollar for his wares, they all meet.

It's a preposterous series of events, carried on the charms of Annabella, and she does a very good job of it, both in her native guise, and imitating a Spanish noblewoman. Brent worked with Roland Pertwee on the screenplay, and director Harold Schuster seems to have been trying for a screwball comedy. The result is erratic, but always watchable. With Frederick Leister, Bill Shine, Nora Swinburne, and an uncredited role for Patricia Medina in her first screen appearance.